The growth in internet traffic is impacting how cloud and carrier data center operators design their compute and data networking architectures. To meet the application demands for scale-out servers and networks, designers are implementing virtual environments such as Network Function Virtualization (NFV) to achieve higher efficiency and lower the cost and time of deploying the new applications. This paper discusses how using the right IP accelerates the implementation of SoCs used in NFV systems.Ron DiGiuseppe, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, Synopsys

This white paper outlines the latest networking trends across some of the key market sectors including automotive, the connected home and data centers, and explains how Ethernet is relevant to each. It also explains how Synopsys responds to its customers’ needs to develop and offer configurable semiconductor IP that enables system-on-chip (SoC) design teams to quickly and reliably implement Ethernet-based digital controllers and physical layers. John A. Swanson, Ethernet Product Line Manager, Synopsys

This white paper will explore the issues facing SoC designers as they address SoC complexity and time-to-market challenges. It will discuss the use of third-party IP while noting that high-quality IP alone is not enough to accelerate time-to-market with today’s SoC complexity. The paper will also discuss issues around driver software development for the IP. Finally, it will review the five major development steps in any SoC design and how third-party IP providers should be expected to help accelerate each of these steps.Dr. Johannes Stahl, Director of Prototyping Product Marketing, Synopsys, Inc.

USB’s ease-of-use and wide availability is belied by USB IP designers’ technical innovations. Without these innovations, USB could not be enabled in a broad range of process technologies ranging from 180-nm to the latest 14/16-nm FinFET technologies. This white paper addresses the five critical challenges facing designers of USB IP who need to keep pace with the process technology changes as well as the USB standard evolution.Gervais Fong, Sr. USB Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys

Network virtualization technologies running over optimized Ethernet IP are enabling cloud computing data centers to expand and support the growing amount of internet traffic. Hyperscale cloud data centers are driving requirements for new network overlay protocols such as Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) running over Ethernet. This whitepaper discusses in detail the benefits of VXLAN and how it can be used to overcome network subnet limits as well as the impact of VXLAN to Ethernet IP implementations. It will also describe how IP supporting VXLAN enables a new class of SoCs optimized for next-generation network virtualization.Ron DIGiuseppe, Sr. Strategic Marketing Manager, Synopsys

Smaller process geometries and higher Double Data Rate (DDR) Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) interface speeds are driving demand for new and more robust techniques for preventing, repairing and detecting memory errors. Some of these techniques are enabled by features in the latest DDR4 and DDR3 RDIMM standards, and others can be applied to any DRAM type. Collectively these techniques improve the Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) of the computing system that adopts them. This white paper reviews some of the ways that errors can occur in the DDR DRAM memory subsystem and discusses current and future methods of improving RAS in the presence of these errors.Marc Greenberg, Product Marketing Director, DDR Controllers, Synopsys, Inc.

USB-IF Worldwide Developers Days introduced developers to the new USB 3.1 specification. On the surface, USB 3.1 seems like it could be only an update to 10G speeds, but this white paper will dig deeper into 10G USB 3.1 to clarify the evolutionary and revolutionary changes in the USB 3.1 specification. USB 3.1 introduces a new 10 Gbps signaling rate in addition to the 5 Gbps signaling rate defined in the USB 3.0 specification. Morten Christiansen, Technical Marketing Manager, USB IP, Synopsys; Eric Huang, Product Marketing Manager, USB IP, Synopsys

With an install base of over 3 billion devices worldwide1, HDMI has become the de facto multimedia interface for all digital home and mobile multimedia devices. To offer consumers the ultimate home theater experience, SoC designers must understand the new features offered by HDMI 2.0, as well as additional features that will drive the adoption of HDMI in industrial, office, and gaming applications.
This white paper describes the HDMI 2.0 specification and compares the new revision of the HDMI specification with the previous versions, HDMI 1.3 and HDMI 1.4. It explains how HDMI 2.0 will almost double the bandwidth from 10.2 Gbps to 18 Gbps to offer 4K video formats at 60 Hz frame rate for an ultra-high definition (ultra-HD) experience on digital TVs. It discusses additional features, such as CEC 2.0, 21:9 frame formats, multi-view video, and HDCP 2.2 for digital rights management. Finally, it will explain HDMI 2.0’s impact on new markets and applications.Manmeet Walia, Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys Inc.; Luis Laranjeira, R&D Manager, Synopsys Inc.

The read reorder buffer (RRB) is a silicon-proven architectural enhancement available in DesignWare uMCTL and uMCTL2 DDR memory controller IP products. This white paper will explain the concept of the read reorder buffer and explain how a read reorder buffer can improve memory bandwidth. It then concludes with experimental results showing how DRAM controllers with different architectures can achieve vastly different DRAM bus utilizations of 10%, 66%, or 100% from the same input traffic stream, depending on whether the architecture has no RRB, an RRB with external scheduling, or an RRB with content-addressable memory (CAM)-based scheduling.Marc Greenberg, Product Marketing Director, DDR Controllers, Synopsys

In this case study, it was discussed how DesignWare IP was leveraged, including USB 2.0 host, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed OTG, Ethernet Controller and SATA, to meet key requirements of IP integration, verification and synthesis to complete a successful design in a short design cycle. The results are highlighted, discussing the issues and the methodology that can be used to achieve the most out of these DesignWare IP solutions, resulting in a reduced SoC design cycle.Vijay Kumar Mathur, ST Microelectronics; Gaurav Bhatnagar, ST Microelectronics; Rohitaswa Bhattacharya, ST Microelectronics

As designers look to their next-generation network designs, they are faced with a set of new challenges when developing products that incorporate the common Ethernet interface. To maintain Ethernet as a dominate and long-lasting network interface, the latest IEEE updates, which are targeted at improving networking systems' Quality-of-Service, will be critical to meet the demands of the consumer. Lokesh Kabra, Senior R&D, Manager, Synopsys, Inc.; John A. Swanson, Senior Staff, Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

Software is a critical component for the development of USB-based designs. In efforts to start software development early and to make it as productive as possible, design teams are often utilizing virtual and FPGA prototypes for software development prior to silicon. This white paper describes how virtual prototype use models for hardware/software verification and the integration of the LeCroy analyzer software into Synopsys' DesignWare SuperSpeed USB verification environments help solve SuperSpeed USB IP development challenges.Frank Schirrmeister, Director, Product Marketing; Tri Nguyen, R&D Engineer, Synopsys, Inc.

This paper provides an introduction to the general concepts of virtualization and I/O virtualization (IOV). It also discusses how IOV is addressed within the PCI Express sepcification and how to support IOV with an existing PCIe interface. Additional topics include: Single-Root IOV, Function Level Reset, Alternative Routing ID and Address Translation Services. Scott Knowlton, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

This whitepaper provides a comparison between the USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 standards, highlighting the new capabilities and advancements that have been made with this next-generation SuperSpeed USB standard including: performance, cables and connectors, power efficiency, USB model differences, hardware and software functionality, new protocol layers and streaming.Dr. Robert Lefferts, R&D Director, Synopsys, Inc.; Subramaniam Aravindhan, R&D Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

Explore the basic concepts behind HDMI, the markets it serves and its leadership role in multimedia interfaces. In addition, this paper provides a tutorial on the new capabilities of HDMI 1.4 and its role in providing a richer, more straightforward user experience. Example case studies are also presented to illustrate how the HDMI Ethernet and Audio Return Channel (HEAC) feature simplifies cabling requirements. Manmeet Walia, Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

This whitepaper describes how to configure and connect the DesignWare® SATA AHCI IP core to the DesignWare SATA PHY in a multi-port AHB-based configuration. It provides an analysis of the expected throughput on each port based on assumed system parameters. The intent of this paper is to enable users to take this example and insert actual system parameters to come up with a performance estimate. Bjorn Widerstrom, Corporate Applications Engineer, Synopsys, Inc.

Emerging from a host of competing technologies, DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM ("DDR") have become the dominant off-chip memory storage solution for SoC designs. Unfortunately, many SoC designers are unfamiliar with the realities of the DRAM standards, typical DRAM applications and the DRAM market. This paper presents ten guiding principles for embedded DDR interfaces, many of which the DRAM standards and vendor data sheets do not explain.Graham Allan, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

By using IP, SoC designers can easily incorporate an HDMI interface in leading edge process technologies such as 90 nanometer (nm), 65 nm and 40 nm processes. This eliminates the need for a separate IC, delivering significant power and cost savings. This paper provides an overview of HDMI standard , how it’s different from other digital video connections and the advantage of incorporating it into your SoC. Luis Laranjeira, Sr. R&D Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

With power consumption and small form factors key issues, SoC designers must consider new requirements imposed by smaller technology nodes, especially for the USB PHY. This paper provides insights into dealing with these issues and profiles the USB IP offerings available from Synopsys.Gervais Fong, Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.;
Eric Huang, Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

PCI Express® - or PCIe® - is a high performance, high bandwidth serial communications interconnect standard that has been devised by the Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG) to replace bus-based communication architectures, such as PCI, PCI Extended (PCI-X) and the accelerated graphics port (AGP). The objective of this white paper is to equip the reader with a broad understanding of the PCI Express standard, and the design challenges associated with implementing the PCI Express interface into an SoC. Scott Knowlton, Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.